Marco Island, Florida, isn’t well-known for shelling, but we must have come just at the right time this winter. We arrived just after a storm and found plentiful shells along the beach each day, especially toward the south end of the island, near the rocks.
We walked each day on the beach and always brought a grocery bag along, in case we discovered a “must-keep” shell.
We found literally hundreds of the Fighting Conch one day, as apparently there is a nesting bed beyond the rocks off the coast. These were mostly live, though, so we spent quite a while throwing them back into the Gulf.
Craig’s favorite passtime during the trip was identifying the shells and choosing which he’d keep.
He sorted the shells into categories: sharks eye, banded tulips, augers, conch, even sand dollars.
And the bleach-water mix helped remove the stench. He even found a small horseshoe crab shell, removed the soft tissue and bleached it as well.
These will be excellent trades at Collector’s Corner this winter!
Marco Island Series:
Marco Island Views
Kids as Cooks
Kids as Cooks Part II
Shelling 101
Key West Express
Florida Series:
Disney World
Sanibel Island
Fort Myers
Everglades
Affordable Family Travel Series:
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9:04 am
[...] Island Series: (more to come) Marco Island Views Kids as Cooks Kids as Cooks Part II Shelling 101 Key West [...]
9:04 am
[...] Island Series: (more to come) Marco Island Views Kids as Cooks Kids as Cooks Part II Shelling 101 Key West [...]
9:05 am
[...] Island Series: (more to come) Marco Island Views Kids as Cooks Kids as Cooks Part II Shelling 101 Key West [...]
3:03 pm
Those are some wonderful shells!!
Hugs,
Holly
9:40 pm
you really hauled them in. I may have to remember to take bleach to the ocean next trip (It’s a six hour drive.)